Like the rest of the world, digital marketing has changed in unprecedented ways this year. Because of those changes, business leaders must think creatively to gain fresh leads and keep long-term customers.
To get a better look at the changes we might see in the industry this year, let's look at a few emerging digital marketing trends.
Chatbots
Before this year, chatbots were already rising in popularity. The recent pandemic, however, shot their popularity off the charts since they allow 24-hour access to businesses and don’t require face-to-face interactions.
According to a recent article in SmallBizGenius, there are several statistical benefits of chatbots:
They cut operational costs by 30%.
50% of businesses plan to focus more time on chatbots this year.
64% of internet users love the 24-hour service feature.
37% of consumers have used one in an emergency.
The Three V’s - Video, Visuals, and Voice
According to Business2Community, the three Vs will become more popular this year. Consumers have long expected to receive high-quality videos and images from businesses, but groundbreaking technology has now made voice capabilities just as crucial.
Thanks to the increased popularity of smart speakers, more consumers are performing voice searches. Businesses who do not optimize their content for these searches will miss out on this invaluable traffic.
Internet users are also watching videos online more. Recent statistics show consumers trust businesses more if they have online video advertisements and will learn more about a business if these advertisements are available.
Spam Control
Another important aspect of digital marketing this year is spam control. While the goal is to interact with potential clients online, it's important to remember that readers hate spam. Consumers who feel a business is sending spam are likely to never build the trust needed to develop a working relationship with that company.
Many marketing outlets and email providers are creating algorithms to reduce the amount of spam that turns up in inboxes. These algorithms search for spam-heavy keywords, content, and images and reject emails.
This advancement has put many businesses in danger of having their emails wind up in spam folders. Luckily, some tools can help. For example, upcoming updates to Microsoft's Office system will include tools that allow marketers to assess spam risks and receive recommendations for ways to decrease them.
Businesses will also need to focus on providing valuable content that benefits the customer, eye-catching and tasteful images, and data their readers want access to.
Conclusion
These trends are just a few that are showing up in the digital marketing realm and others will surface before the year is through. While it's difficult to predict what the future brings, digital marketing will continue to change as the world changes around it.
As with any emerging industry, changes and expansion occur quickly in the world of digital marketing. It’s exciting to think about potential new tools we will see over the coming years and how they will change the strategies businesses rely on to interact and better serve their customers.